Sparks Fly
by Wolfspirit44
Summary: "There's no changing your mind about whom you love. That's part of the tough thing about being in love- it's sort of undeniable." Jerza fluff
1. Hallways

**A/N: I know I know, I really shouldn't be starting another story while I have others already ongoing. But hear me out, okay? I've had almost enough of angst and action (This moment needs to go down in history, WOLFIE HAS HAD ENOUGH OF ANGST AND ACTION LET THAT SINK IN), so I needed to take a lil break from the dark side. This story is gonna be kinda drabbly, with short chapters, but it is basically fluff, a story about Jellal and Erza, from elementary school all the way up to marriage. Yea. FLUFF.**

 **Also, please do review for Rose of Winter. I didn't get a lot of feedback on the newest chapter, and I really do wanna know what you guys think. Also, Starcatcher will be up soon (I think?). Haha, anyway, read on, and enjoy. Reviews are much appreciated, and I'm grateful to you all for sticking by my side through all the drama. Love you guys!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Hallways**

 **Eighth Grade**

* * *

Erza Scarlet did not like her math class. First, who cared what the quadratic formula was all about? It wasn't like it was gonna help her in life. What, was she going to use it to figure out the distance between the words in her textbook? No.

Second, Mr. Gildarts, even though he was a nice man- bless his soul, had to be the most boring man to ever exist. He'd already put at least ten kids to sleep from his droning, monotone voice, and it usually took him like ten years to write out the answers to questions on the board. And bathroom breaks? Forget it. It'd be like trying to get a sloth to move faster than one mile per hour.

She sighed, running her fingers through her red hair, and decided it's more worth her time to pick through her dead ends than to listen to Mr. Gildarts drone on, this time something about Pi. If she had a more exciting teacher, Erza might have tried to pay attention, but at this point, she didn't even bother. So she leaned back in her seat, propping her feet up on the desk in front of her, and wordlessly picked at her hair, finding the pesky dead ends and ridding them of their worthless existence.

As soon as the bell rang, she was up and out of her seat, flying down the hall towards her locker, her backpack thumping heavily between her shoulders. She grinned mentally, completely sure that Mr. Gildarts didn't even see her dart out of the classroom. He really was a nice man, don't get her wrong, but his teaching skills were less than perfect, and spending another minute inside his stuffy classroom was going to make Erza go nuts. But now the class was over, and Erza needed to be at one particular spot in that very moment: her locker. Students parted like the red sea to make way for her, because a determined Erza Scarlet was not one you should hold up.

It was also lunch time, and she needed to catch up with her best friends.

Erza made it to her locker, and her fingers flew on the lock, putting in her combination at rocket speed. Opening the door, she shoved her much hated math textbook inside and reached for her lunch, which she made herself. She checked her reflection in the mirror, not out of vain, but because she almost fell asleep during math and she had to make sure she didn't smudge pen on her face like the last time.

"Erza!" someone called, a moment before a lean arm wrapped around her neck and pulled her into a tight side hug. Erza grinned, turning to the slim blonde girl standing next to her, a petite blue haired girl standing just a little bit behind.

The blonde grinned. "Hey," she said. "Ready for lunch?"

Erza nodded, and showed the blonde her bento box. "You betcha."

The blonde, Lucy Heartfilia, was one of Erza's closest friends. They met in the third grade, and had been close ever since. The blue haired girl was Levy McGarden, who joined their duo in the fifth grade. The three of them were tight knit, joined at the him. Erza knew she wouldn't be complete without the two of them. They all had their weird quirks: Erza's fierceness, Lucy's obsession with makeup, and Levy's inability to go anywhere without a book. It was the perfect combination.

"You made that?" Levy asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

Erza nodded, proud of her creation. "Yup," she said, eyeing Levy's longing gaze. "You're welcome to have some, if you like. I made extra." With that, she reached into her locker and pulled out an extra box.

Levy and Lucy squealed happily, jumping onto Erza in excitement. Erza sputtered, taken aback by her friends' sudden bursts of affection, but then paused, eyes locked on an approaching figure making their way down the hall. Lucy and Levy both froze, aware of Erza lack of reaction, and turned, eyes seeking out what caught their friend's attention.

Lucy's gaze darkened. "Isn't that Jellal Fernandes?" she asked, watching the blue haired boy walk down the hall, his ever present posse consisting of Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster present next to their ringleader.

Erza nodded wordlessly, eyes fixed on Jellal as he passed by, unaware of the stares burning holes into his back. Levy looked over at Erza, biting her lip.

"Weren't the two of you friends once?" She asked.

Erza nodded, finally tearing her gaze away from Jellal's receding back. "Yes," she said, closing her locker, a bit harder than necessary. Levy noticed this, but didn't say anything. "But that was a very long time ago."

"What happened?" Lucy asked, scampering after Erza as she turned to go. "Why aren't you guys friends anymore?"

Erza shook head. "I have no idea. He never told me, and I never asked."

"When did it happen?"

Erza shrugged. "I can't be sure. Maybe last year, just after summer break?"

Lucy pondered that. "Maybe it has to do with the whole, "girls have cooties" type of thing?"

Levy scoffed. "Yeah right," she said, firing back at Lucy. "Tell that to Jenny and Hibiki then. They couldn't be more glued to the hip. I don't think it's that, Lucy."

Lucy opened her mouth, but Levy cut her off. "It isn't that, Lucy. It's something else. Something happened."

Lucy stuck her tongue out, making Erza and Levy break out into peals of laughter on their way to the cafeteria. And although the Jellal subject was safely dropped, Erza couldn't help but wonder about her former friend, and what Levy said. Something must have happened for Jellal to change so suddenly. The question was, what was it?

* * *

"Bye, Mr. Conbolt!" Erza said, waving to her favorite English teacher. He smiled, giving her a thumbs up as she left his classroom, a big red "A+" drawn on the paper she held in her hand. English had always been her best subject, and staying after school to discuss her work with her teacher had always been a favorite pastime of hers. She smiled, hugging the paper to her chest, and made her way to her locker.

She quickly twisted the dial, opening the door. Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she took a quick glance in her mirror, checking to make sure her flyaways were still pinned back. However, she froze, making out a familiar blue head in the mirror's reflection. Spinning around, a gasp escaped her lips at the sight of Jellal Fernandes, standing a little further beyond.

They locked eyes, and Jellal began walking forward. For some reason, Erza stood rooted in fear, her gaze locked on Jellal as he came closer and closer...

...And he walked right past, not even bothering to give Erza a second glance. As soon as he passed, Erza unfroze, whipping her head around to stare at his back, again. Something in her chest broke that instant, unable to bear the sight of Jellal once again walking away from her without saying anything.

"What happened, Jellal?"

He froze, his back still facing Erza. She held her head high, holding back the few tears hiding behind her eyes, even keeping her lip from trembling when he slowly turned to her, gaze sharp.

"What?" he asked, voice low.

Erza's shoulders sagged. "When did things change between us?" she whispered sadly.

His eyes widened, and his mouth opened. He stared at Erza for a moment, jaw working soundlessly as he figured out something to say. Then his eyes closed, and Erza held her breath.

When his eyes opened, they were hard like glass. "Let it go, Erza."

She frowned. "Why?" she fired back. "Do you hate me?"

He stormed towards her, and Erza contemplated running. The furious look in his eyes would send anyone dashing for the hills, but Erza stayed put when she remembered Jellal was the best sprinter on their modified track team. There would be no point.

She pressed herself into her locker, shying away from the look in his eyes. As if noticing this, Jellal backed away, sighing. He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking tired. "Erza," he began, saying her name as if it pained him. "Just... Just let it go. Please."

She stared with wide eyes as he gave her a look, something she didn't quite understand, before turning and walking away, leaving Erza breathless yet gasping for breath at the same time. She wasn't sure how long she stood there, leaning against the door of her locker for support, until she got a text from her mother asking her where she was. Flustered, Erza quickly got her things and made a dash for the door, Jellal's name hovering on her tongue.

* * *

Jellal walked as fast as he could away from Erza, his heart pounding painfully in his chest. As soon as he was outside, he made his way around the back of the building, leaning against the wall for support.

" _When did things change between us?"_

Jellal clenched his jaw and whirled, slamming his fist into brick.


	2. Morning Kiss

**Chapter two: Morning Kiss**

 **Present Day**

* * *

Erza likes waking up early, so today is no different. However, even though she's been awake for some time now, she doesn't get out of bed. Instead, she's smiling warmly as the sun's morning rays peek through the curtains.

Waking up every morning to the love of her life tends to put that smile on her face. It's something Erza has never gotten used to, and she thinks she never will. Not that she minds, she thinks, as she brushes the fringe away from her lover's eyes.

With her heart beating in her chest, fluttering the way it does around him, Erza leans closer and gently brushes her lips against Jellal's in a warm kiss. Jellal doesn't move, still held captive in dreamland, but Erza doesn't mind. Mornings like these were her favorites, where she could simply lean back and watch the love of her life while he sleeps serenely. Sometimes though, when she presses her lips to his, Jellal would smile immediately and open his warm forest eyes. She loves those mornings too.

There's dark circles under his eyes as she gently traces his lips, but Erza knows his fatigue comes from his hard work and dedication. It only makes her love him more, she realizes as she traces his lips, the smile from before once again making an appearance. She leans over once more, kissing him again, wishing she could lay here all day, but she can't. With a soft sigh and one more smile at Jellal, she rolls out of bed and makes her way down the hall to the bathroom.

Once she's dressed, she makes her way to the main living space of the apartment she shares with Jellal, going to their kitchenette and opening the fridge, scanning the shelves for food. Finding the items she needs, she turns to the stove, turning it on and setting a pan over the flame.

She's humming a soft melody under her breath when two wiry arms wrap around her waist. She smiles, leaning back into the warm body as she continues to make some eggs. Warm lips press gently against her neck, and she hums happily.

"Morning, love," Jellal's raspy voice whispers against her throat. Erza smiles, turning her head to press a warm kiss to his cheek in response.

"Hey, you," she says warmly, abandoning her eggs for a moment to turn in his embrace, wrapping her hands (and spatula) around his neck. He smiles, his hands coming to rest at her hips, and presses a kiss to her forehead. Inner Erza squeals, loving the attention (forehead kisses are her weakness), but Outer Erza just smiles and leans into Jellal's body. One of her hands comes up to trace the maroon birthmark on his face, then to his hair to lovingly tug on the blue locks.

"You should sit down," she whispers, once they part enough for her to turn back to the stove. "Breakfast will be done shortly."

He hums in response, and this is enough of a warning for Erza to brace herself. He leans back in, sweeping her hair off her neck to kiss it again. Erza sighs contentedly, arching her back and tilting her head back to give him access.

"I don't tell you enough how beautiful you are," he whispers against her skin.

Erza rolls her eyes, transferring the eggs to plates and pushing the lever down for the toaster. "You tell me every day, at least ten times."

"It's not enough," he growls, kissing her skin again.

Erza groans lovingly, and turns to push the man she loves to sit down at the island. "You're such a cheesy oaf," she complains, turning back to the toast. He chuckles behind her, but doesn't retaliate.

The phone rings suddenly, but before Erza can even ask who it is, Jellal picks it up and answers. "Hey, Mira," he says. "You're on speaker."

" _Hey,"_ comes the bubbly voice of Erza's best friend. " _Is Erza there?"_

"Right here, Mira!" Erza calls over her shoulder as she struggles with the toaster. She succeeds finally and stares triumphantly at her prize, the two slices of toast the toaster stubbornly wouldn't give up. "What's up?"

" _Nothing much, just checking up on the married couple who gets more and more whipped as the years go on."_

Jellal laughs. "Oh come on Mira," he says in between chuckles. "Can you really say that with the way you and Laxus act? Which of us is more whipped, us or you two?"

"You two," Erza says before Mira can react.

There's a moment of quiet before Mira speaks again. " _Anyway, I just called to let you know that Laxus is on his way to the office,"_ she says, addressing Jellal. " _And Erza, Juvia just called to let me know a new shipment of books is in. She wants us to come in and see if it's what we ordered."_

Erza nods, turning around with two loaded plates in her hands. Somehow, Jellal has already gotten the tableware and coffee set up (so quietly how did she not notice), and he's sitting there expectantly, the phone in one hand.

"Well," she says as she sits down, handing a plate to Jellal. "I'm sure it's the right one but knowing Juvia, she wants everything to be perfect. Do you want to meet after I see Jellal off?"

Mira laughs. " _God you guys are so whipped."_

"Shh," Erza says, then notices Jellal hasn't started eating yet. "Jell, why aren't you eating?"

He gestures towards her plate. "Waiting for you."

Erza opens her mouth, but Mira cuts her off. " _Like I said,"_ she said. " _Whipped."_

Erza glares at the phone, and Mira, as if sensing it, immediately changes the subject. " _Anyway,"_ she coughs out. " _I'll let the two of you get back to breakfast. Wouldn't want Jellal starving to death. Meet you at the store at 10. Bye, lovebirds."_ And with that, she hangs up, leaving Erza gawking at the phone.

Jellal smiles, and starts to eat. "Gotta love Mira," he whispers.

Erza jabs her fork into her eggs, a bit harder than necessary, and plans Mira's inevitable murder.

Once they finish eating, Erza has to resort to threatening Jellal with a soapy dish towel to go and get dressed, and not do the dishes. He's starting to run late, and even though he and Laxus run things, she does not want to be explaining to Jellal's business partner for the _millionth_ time why her husband is late for work. Once he's finally back in their room (albeit grumbling about making Erza do the dishes for the _millionth_ time, not that she minds), Erza sets her mind to do the dishes, happy that Jellal enjoyed breakfast.

She puts the last dish in the drainboard and is just finishing drying her hands when Jellal walks back into the living room, briefcase in one hand and tie in the other. He looks dashing and ruggedly handsome in his suit, with his hair still messy (no matter what he or Erza try to do his hair refuses to anything other than complete chaos, so they gave up on trying to tame it. Whatever.). He smiles sheepishly at her as he sets the briefcase by the door. "Love?" he asks, as he raises the tie.

She smiles warmly (the same smile as before), and makes her way over to him, gently taking the tie of of his hand.

He grins triumphantly and wraps his arms around her, holding her close. She rolls her eyes as she does his tie, making eye contact. "Was this just a way to get me into your arms?" she asks as he presses chaste kisses against her cheek.

"Yes," he says cheekily, kissing her again. "It worked, obviously."

She laughs and pulls away, giving him a gentle swat on the bicep. "Brat," she says lovingly.

He catches her in his arms again, pulling her close while he too, grins. "Yes," he agrees. "But you love this brat, don't you?"

"Of course," she whispers, pressing a peck to his lips. "Without a doubt."

He smiles, and leans back in, connecting their lips again for much longer. When he pulls away, Erza's lips are slightly swollen and she's panting. He smiles, and presses another kiss to the corner of her mouth, whispering _I love you's_ because he knows he'll never tire of saying it.

"You need to go," she whispers finally. "Laxus will flay us both alive if you're late again."

He nods sadly. "I know," he says. "I love you."

She's quiet, but the love is evident in her eyes.

"So I guess, bye for now," he whispers.

"Be safe," she whispers back.

He nods, cupping her cheeks. "Don't miss me too much," he jokes. She smiles, but the two of them know she'll miss him just as much as he misses her. Even if he hasn't left, he's already missing her. But he doesn't care. He'll accept this feeling because he knows that she'll always wait for him, just as he'll always come back to her. It's just the way the world works for the two of them.

Jellal and Erza. Erza and Jellal. It's as simple as that.

"Don't overwork yourself. Eat lunch," Erza reminds him, holding onto Jellal's collar, not wanting to let go.

"Of course," Jellal says, smiling that beautiful smile, which causes sparks to fly and the fluttering feeling in Erza's heart to come to life. Just like the first time. And the time after that.

And Erza knows the fluttering feeling will never go away. Neither will the sparks.

"Love you," Jellal says, kissing her goodbye again.

"I know."

He stands awkwardly by the door, one hand on the knob and the other still around Erza's waist. It makes Erza want to smile. This is starting to become a habit, but she doesn't mind being the reason why Jellal doesn't want to leave.

"Bye, Erza," Jellal says, one last time, tapping his forehead against hers again. He gives her one last peck before running out the door- only because Laxus starts calling. Erza laughs while her husband rushes off, and closes the door with a dreamy smile on her face.

The phone starts blaring in the kitchen again, so Erza makes haste to answer it. When she looks down at the screen, she frowns, confused as to why Mira is calling again. Concerned, she answers. "Hello?"

A breathy laugh greets her. " _Whipped."_

Erza immediately hangs up, a part of her knows Mira is right. She is whipped (but then again, she really doesn't mind).

* * *

 **A/N: I really really really really wanted to get this up.**

 **FLUFFFFFFFFFFFFF. JERZA MARRIED FLUFF. DAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.**

 **So yes, Jellal and Erza are happily married. If any of you are confused, the first chapter was in the past, and this one is present day. The rest of the story follows this format: odd chapters are the past, even chapters are the present. Just to clarify things.**

 **I know a few of you were questioning why Erza seemed scared of Jellal in the first chapter, but** foxydame **pretty much summed it up in her review (thank you by the way, and to everyone else that reviewed *Sends flying hearts everywhere*). Erza's not really scared of Jellal, but more like she's scared that she's lost the Jellal she once knew. Not to mention, if you've ever lost a friendship but still see that person around, don't you tend to shy up whenever you are in contact with them again? That's how I usually feel, but idk man.**

 **So what do you guys think happened between them to cause them to split in the past? When did things change from 8th grade to now? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and hey, who knows? Your questions and replies may be answered in future chapters *inserts winky face here***

 **Until then, I can't wait to see what you guys have to say.**

 **Love ya,**

 **\- Wolf**

 **P.S. JERZA MARRIED LIFE FLUFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF :D**


	3. Despite it All

**A/N: Oh god, taking 5 courses this year was such a bad idea. You have no idea how stressed I've been lately. I feel like I've been run over by a herd of elephants, followed by a bus, followed by a train. I'm so sorry for not posting in a while, but I've really been so stressed and all the free time I've had (albeit none rly) has been spent trying to either catch up on sleep or listen to EXO to calm down (Probs not the best idea- they stress me out too). Thank you to those who have reviewed, followed, and faved. You are all blessed.**

 **I just want to say that real life is getting pretty hectic right now. Please try to be patient with me, I know you guys want updates.**

 **Starcatcher and ROW will probs not be updated for a while because of my hectic schedule. The only reason why I'm updating this is because it's not drenched in angst, action and K-Drama romance like the other two. This one is light and not as serious, so I don't stress out over it as much. Sorry to those hoping SC and ROW would be updated. I will keep you guys posted however, so pls be patient with me!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Despite it All**

 **Summer before Freshman Year**

* * *

"Hey!" Lucy said, running up to where Erza stood at her locker, furiously emptying the contents and dropping them unforgivingly into the trash bin behind her. "You going?"

Erza frowned as she tossed her ever hated math notebook into the trash without a second glance. "Going where?" she asked, not sparing a glance to her best friend as she continued to empty her locker. After all, today was the last day of eighth grade, and she was so done. _Good riddance_ , she thought, throwing the last notebook away.

"Going where?" she asked, glaring in satisfaction at her now empty locker.

Lucy rolled her eyes and shoved her phone into Erza's face. "Jenny's holding an after school party and end of the year bash at her house later on tonight. You coming?"

Erza pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. "Jenny..." she whispered, trying to remember who exactly that was. "She's the one with the giant house right?"

"And the giant field to play soccer in," Lucy said excitedly. "Also the one that was pretty much glued to Hibiki's mouth the entire year."

"Right," Erza said lamely, closing the locker. "That one."

"Come on," Lucy whined, as Erza turned with her now empty backpack slung over her shoulder. "Everyone will be there!"

Erza gave her a withering look, and Lucy winced. "Sorry," she whispered. "But yeah, he'll be there too."

"And how exactly is that incentive to make me want to go?" Erza asked, exiting the school with Lucy beside her.

Lucy shrugged. "Because both me and Levy will be there and you love us?"

Erza rolled her eyes. "Maybe more like tolerate you, but okay."

"Yah!"

Erza laughed and gave Lucy a gentle shove, making the blonde huff in indignation. "I'll see about it," Erza called over her shoulder as her mom drove up. "Text you later."

* * *

"Oooh Erza, look! Jenny's organizing a game of soccer! You should totally play!"

Erza turned towards the sound of the voice, and caught a glimpse of Levy pointing towards the field behind Jenny's house, where several of the other kids were gathering. Her eyes narrowed when she caught a glimpse of Jellal's blue hair among the mass.

"I'm not so sure-" she began, but Levy immediately shushed her and shoved her forward, making her stumble right into the middle of the pack.

"Ayy!" a boy said, recognizing her. Erza looked up and met the gaze of Ren, one of Hibiki's friends. He smiled at her and grabbed her hand. "Erza, I want you on my team!. We'll totally win!"

Erza blushed.

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Fine then!" she shouted, miffed that Erza had already been claimed (everyone knew that the redhead was one of the most desired people to be picked) and turned to Jellal. "I'll take Jellal then."

To Erza's surprise, Jellal made eye contact with her before making his way over to Jenny's side. Ren draped an arm over Erza's shoulders and, surprisingly, Jellal nearly snarled at the sight. Erza frowned, but didn't bother herself too much over it.

When the teams were picked, Erza made her way over to her side with the rest of her team. Ren had them circle up before assigning them to their spots. Erza, no surprise, was put on offense. "Keep your eyes on the ball," he advised to them as they broke. "Work together, pass as much as you can. Erza and I will be running point, so we'll have your backs."

Eve, another one of Hibiki's posse, blew the whistle, and so the game began.

* * *

The game was a close one. Twenty minutes in, and they were tied, 5-5. It was clear though, that the game was coming to a close, with most of the players slowing down and tiring. Erza's team had the ball, more precisely, _she_ had the ball, and was currently dribbling it to where Jellal was waiting in the goalie box.

As she neared, she could see from the corner of her eyes that Ren was running steadily behind her, intercepting the opposing team from nearing her. She could also see the angry glare in Jellal's eyes, but couldn't understand what he was so mad about. When Hibiki (Jellal's team) nearly tackled her, Ren neatly intercepted, knocking Hibiki out of the way while turning a concerned gaze onto Erza, Jellal bared his teeth.

Erza had a clear shot. She could do this. One step. Two steps.

She took a deep breath in, and locked eyes with Jellal as she neared. Exhale.

 _Wham!_

Erza gasped, hands flying up to cover her mouth as the ball soared towards Jellal. He jumped, intending on intercepting the ball, but misjudged the height and the ball smacked him right in the nose. What made it worse was the fact that Jellal had so much momentum, he went flying right into the goal post.

"Oh my god!" Erza gasped, running up to where Jellal lay sprawled on the grass. She fell to her knees at his side, eyes widening when she saw blood. "Oh my god! Are you alright?"

"Fine!" He growled, trying to push her hands away from his face. "I'm fine!"

"No you're not!" she shouted, grabbing his arm and hoisting him to his feet. "I need to get you inside!"

"Bathroom's inside to the right!" Jenny screamed. "Get him out of here!"

Erza took off, nearly dragging Jellal with her in her haste to get him inside without any of the parents seeing. She didn't want anyone to get in trouble for her mistake.

Once inside, Erza made him sit on the bathtub, giving him a paper towel to hold to his bleeding nose. He also had a small cut on his cheek, probably from where his face hit the metal post. Erza frowned, dabbing at the small cut with a wet paper towel.

"What are you doing?" Jellal asked quietly, flinching slightly when Erza cleaned his cut. He pulled the paper towel away from his nose and sighed in relief; the nosebleed had stopped.

"I'm just trying to help," Erza whispered quietly, taking out the first aid kit from the medicine cabinet.

"I don't need your help." Jellal grumbled. "You being here is making it worse."

Erza didn't reply; she took out a bandaid and silently applied it to Jellal's cheek.

"It's no big deal," Jellal explained. "Just a little blood. I could've handled it."

"I know that."

"Then why didn't you leave me alone?"

"Because goddamnit Jellal, despite everything that's happened, despite your hatred of me, I would never want to see you be hurt, especially by me!" She yelled, tears pooling in her eyes.

Jellal's eyes widened.

Erza bit her lip and looked away.

After a moment, Jellal whispered, "Why are you like this? Why do you care?"

Erza turned back to him, meeting his gaze with watery eyes. Something ached in his chest, and he wanted desperately to wipe her tears away, to take back what he said. But he couldn't.

"I don't know," she whispered, her lip trembling. "But maybe I shouldn't anymore."

She threw down the paper towel next to Jellal, wiped her eyes with her sleeves and ran out of the bathroom, leaving Jellal with blood still caked on his face, confusion swimming in his eyes, and his heart aching in pain.

* * *

"So what happened after you nailed Jellal in the face?" Lucy asked the next day, lying in Erza's bed. Erza sighed and rolled over to face her best friend. Levy, sitting in Erza's chair, turned to face the two lounging on the bed, eyes lit up in curiosity.

After telling Lucy and Levy the story, Erza sighed and looked up at her ceiling. "I shouldn't have helped him," she confessed.

Lucy frowned. "Don't say that, Erza."

"You heard it, Lucy. He hates me. He told me it was worse that I was there."

Levy shook her head. "Although I admit that it wasn't the nicest thing to say, you gotta remember Erza, that he's a boy. He's still at the age where being helped by a girl is pathetic. You know that."

"He also probably didn't want you to see him hurt, Erza," Lucy said.

Erza turned to look at Lucy, eyebrows raised. "Yeah right," she replied.

"Hey, it's a possibility. And you didn't want to see him hurt, am I right? Even though you hate him, you still can't stand to see him hurt."

"I don't hate him."

"Then it's okay to worry about him, Erza. Just because you two aren't friends anymore doesn't mean you don't have to stop worrying about him. You're a good person, Erza. Don't worry."

Their advice doesn't stop the fretting, nor does it stop the weird fluttering in Erza's chest.

Once Lucy and Levy left, Erza lay lounging on her bed, lost in thought. She was still hurt by Jellal's words, but at the same time, she couldn't help but remember how much in pain he was, how hurt he looked on the ground like that. Erza bit her lip. She hated herself in that moment, for worrying so much about a boy who didn't seem to care anymore.

Her phone buzzed by her side. Lazily, Erza reached for it, ready to respond to Lucy's text that yes, she left her hoodie on the bed and yes, she'll bring it over tomorrow when they all hang out. However, when she brings it to her face, a name she never thought she'd see on her phone flashes across the screen.

 _From: Jellal_

 _To: me_

 _I'm sorry about what I said. And thank you for yesterday._

Well, this was new. Jellal hadn't texted her in ages. Why was he doing it now? Did he feel guilty about snapping at her? Did he want to return a favor, to not seem impolite?

Whatever the case, for some reason, it brought a smile to Erza's face, and she contentedly set the phone down, a fluttery feeling exploding in her chest.

It felt nice.

* * *

"You texted Erza? Dude, you haven't texted her in ages!" Natsu roared, spying Erza's name in Jellal's phone. Jellal sighed and turned his phone off, tucking it in his back pocket, away from Natsu's prying eyes.

Gray frowned, catching Jellal's gaze. "What's with you?" he asked. "Yesterday she helped out after the soccer game, and you've had a scowl on your face since then. What's going on?"

"Nothing!" Jellal said. "It's fine!"

But if he was being completely honest with himself, Jellal wasn't really sure why he was acting like this either. Since yesterday, he hadn't been able to get Erza out of his mind. He couldn't get the image of her teary face out, nor her trembling lips when she spoke.

" _Because goddamnit Jellal, despite everything that's happened, despite your hatred of me, I would never want to see you be hurt, especially by me!"_

Jellal shook his head. Maybe he-

No. He was just tired. Yes, that was it. He was tired, and still stressed from the game. And in pain from his injuries. There was no other explanation.

* * *

 **A/N: JUST A LIL BIT OF ANGST BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON MY HANDS JUST NEED TO STICK IT IN THERE SOMEWHERE.**

 **AND JELLAL, KEEP TELLING YOURSELF THAT, IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER. HAHA. (PS. Anyone catch the jelly jellal in there?)**

 **What's gonna happen next? Who knows? *maniacal laughter***

 **See ya in the next chapter!**

 **\- Wolf**

 ** _P.S. I am begging you to leave me a comment because I swear it's the only thing that's keeping me motivated right now. Please, oh please oh please oh please leave me a review. A comment. Anything. Help me stop feeling like a piece of shit because I am so stressed and I just need to hear happy words to make me feel less shitty about college_**


	4. Never Forget

**A/N: I don't think you guys realize how much you mean to me. I've gotten such wonderful feedback for the last chapter I was actually moved to tears. Your words actually helped me through the stressful week and made me so so so happy. I love you guys so much, and your words mean so much. Even though I was unable to respond to a majority of them, I want you to know that you made my day and I and so grateful for you guys. Thank you so much.**

* * *

 **Chapter four: Never Forget**

 **Present day**

* * *

Even though Jellal knows Erza is perfectly fine, he can't help but look for her anyway. Amidst the people crowded in at the Mercurious hotel ballroom, he is looking for the one person who holds his very being in her hands. He knows she likes these parties (she has her own dedicated in her name, after all) but he still feels the urge to make sure she's happy.

However, those are parties for the author elites, for people like here. This is a drab business party where all the CEOs gather to tell boring stories about their boring enterprises and drink boring champagne and whatnot.

He catches a glimpse of Laxus out of the corner of his eye. It's not hard to miss, Laxus is rather tall after all, and the light beige suit he's wearing stands out among the sea of blacks and blues and grays. Laxus is currently in the middle of talking to a few of the older men, including Bob Master, one of the most influential CEOs in the country, famous for his men's fashion. Jellal grins and turns around. Laxus can handle it.

He returns to his game of "Where's Erza?", eyes roving over the mass of people. He purses his lips, wondering what the chances were that he could steal her away to one of the back hallways for a few minutes and sneak in a kiss. Or two. Or ten.

He makes his way towards the stage, thinking that he'd probably find her there, when someone launches their attack. In other words, he's intercepted by the one and only Mr. Kageyama, a very persistent man who is convinced Jellal should sell his company to him and come to work for Kageyama Enterprises (Jellal wonders if Mr. Kageyama knows that DF Corporations is owned by two men, himself and Laxus. It's not called DF Corp. for nothing).

At some point in the conversation, Mr. Kageyama brings Erza up, and wonders how she managed to "snag a successful businessman like himself". Jellal nearly strangles the man, but settles for a firm answer. "She didn't snag me. I love her, and she loves me."

"But you two come from such different classes."

"That is of little consequence," Jellal says. Erza cannot be replaced. She will not be replaced. Nothing will ever change that.

After finally ridding himself of Mr. Kageyama for the fifth time, Jellal looks around and sighs in relief. There, standing next to the stage with a glass of champagne in hand, stands Erza, looking absolutely lovely in a black lace gown. Standing next to her, draped in white, is her ever present counterpart Mira, quietly sipping her champagne while her beautiful blue eyes stay locked on what is probably her husband, Laxus.

Jellal smiles and approaches the two, sliding an arm around Erza's waist and pulling her in protectively against his body. She smiles and turns her head upwards, placing a kiss on his jaw with a "hey you".

"Jellal," Mira acknowledges, her gaze breaking away from Laxus to meet his eyes.

"Hello Mira," Jellal says turning and placing a kiss on Erza's cheek, making her giggle cheerfully. Mira rolls her eyes at the interaction and takes another sip of champagne, muttering something about "lovey dovey" under her breath. Jellal pays her no mind and looks down at the woman he loves.

"How's the party?" Jellal asks, rubbing his fingers on her hip soothingly.

Erza smiles, a dazzling and radiant smile. "It's great!" she says eagerly. "Mira and I just got done talking with Ms. Hisui! She heard about the recent book signing I was planning and offered to host it here. I'm really excited."

"That's wonderful, Erza," Jellal says and absentmindedly takes her hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Whipped," Mira coughs out.

Jellal grins and turns to Mira. "What?" he asks innocently. He lifts up both his and Erza's hands and places a gentle kiss to Erza's knuckles. "It's nice."

Erza blushes a beautiful shade of red, while Mira pretends to heave. "It's like your wedding all over again. Horribly mushy and cavity inducing."

Erza rolls her eyes at Mira's over exaggeration, while Jellal merely smiles.

"Moving on," Mira says, placing her empty glass on a nearby buser's tray and taking a full one off. "There isn't enough alcohol being given to me right now."

Erza frowns. "What's wrong, Mira?" she asks

Mira sighs. "Just another boring awards party for boring CEOs."

Jellal frowns (although he's ignores the fact that he called this very party boring earlier- all for Erza's sake). "Hey!" he complains. "This borning CEO happens to be receiving one of those boring awards tonight. Your boring CEO of a husband is getting one too!"

Mira side eyes him. "Are you saying that because you're genuinely excited to be receiving the award or just because you get to show off how beautiful Erza looks tonight."

Jellal pauses, and Mira snorts. "I thought so."

Erza blushes again. "Mira, don't say that."

Jellal kisses her on the cheek. "What, it's the truth. You look beautiful."

"You told me that already. Three times."

Jellal grins widely, and leans in, kissing her on the lips. "Make that four."

A few minutes late Laxus joins them, wrapping his arms around Mira in a hug. "Hello gorgeous," he whispers sensually in her ear, and Erza begins to poke fun. Jellal watches in mirth, happy that Erza is enjoying herself.

Movement on stages catches Jellal's eye, and he turns, watching as Ms. Hisui (owner of the Mercurius Hotel) climbs on stage and taps the blunt edge of a knife against her champagne glass. "Everyone," she says, getting the crowd's attention. "If you would all please sit down, we can begin the awards."

Jellal tucks Erza arm in his and walks her over to their table situated right in the middle of the crowd. He doesn't let go of her hand when they sit, and out of the corner of his eye, he sees Laxus do the same.

As the presenters continue their awards and the CEOs accept and give their speeches, Jellal looks over to make sure Erza's comfortable. When he see her, she's blinking hard. Smiling, Jellal leans in. "Go ahead and yawn, love. Everyone's doing it."

Even the one and only Mr. Kageyama, sitting three tables away, is yawning, but he's not even trying to hide it. Erza, on the other hand, retains her dignity and covers her mouth.

Ms. Hisui makes her way onto the stage, two plaques in her hands. "And this is the last presentation for the night. Ladies and gentlemen, for the third year counting, Fiore's best business corporation award goes Mr. Jellal Fernandes and Mr. Laxus Dreyar. DF Corporations, everyone!"

Others are standing and congratulating him, but all Jellal can focus on is Erza's lips on his face and a quiet whisper of "Congratulations, Jellal."

He smiles and makes his way to the stage, Laxus following closely behind. Jellal's not quite sure if Laxus knows about the lipstick mark on his cheek (left purposely there by Mira).

"Wow," Laxus says, admiring the plaque in his hands. "This is... Wow."

The crowd laughs.

"I completely agree," Jellal says. "This is amazing. Thank you so much."

"We built ourselves up from nothing," Laxus continues. "Two young men with nothing but dreams keeping up going. It is those dreams and our perseverance that became into the fruitful enterprise Jellal and I like to call DF Corporations."

Mira begins to cry, and Erza hands her a tissue while rubbing her back. She looks up, makes eye contact with Jellal, and flashes him that beautiful smile that causes his heart to flutter, just like the first time.

"Laxus and I have two people to thank for this award," Jellal says, never breaking eye contact with the love of his life. "Two people who have never wavered in their love for us. Thank you for standing by us, through thick and thin. Thank you for putting up with late hours and missed time. For loving us unconditionally no matter what we've done. You are the only reason we make it through the work day. You make life worth living."

He sees the tears slip down Erza's cheeks. "Erza Scarlet-Fernandes, I love you."

She smiles. "I love you," she mouths, and for Jellal, that's all that matters.

* * *

It's a few weeks later when Jellal finds himself in a reverse situation. He is once again at the Mercurius hotel, but this time it is he who is on the arm of the most important person in the room. As Fiore's top Bestselling Author, Erza is sought out by all who arrive tonight. She is stunning in her plum colored dress, and Jellal watches from afar as she laughs alongside many other famous writers. Jellal smiles, because when Erza is happy, he is happy, and that is one of the best feelings in the world.

And when she wins the National Fiction Award for her novel, _Rave Master_ , for the fifth year in a row, Jellal is the first to stand up, clapping as hard as he can. He kisses her long and hard, making sure she knows how much she's loved.

Later, when they lay in bed, tangled up in the most intimate ways, she breathes into his ear _I love you_ , and Jellal smiles. When their lips meet in another long, sensuous kiss, he feels the same sparks fly just like the very first time.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, so here's the thing. Jerza are adults in every other chapter. Adults do...adult things. Like drinking. And making out. And... lemon.**

 **So y'all know how I've said I wouldn't write smut, right? I might make an exception for this fic. Granted, it's gonna be undescriptive and as small as possible, but I think it's gotta go in since they're adults and adults partake in adult activities. Idk yet, we will see.**

 **Let me know how the chapter is. Don't you just love married jerza? *goes off into fantasy world***

 **-Wolf**


	5. Something Flutters

**A/N: Hey, it's me again. Took a little break in between studying for midterms to write this lil' thing up cuz i miss me some Jerza. I've been hella stressed out lately with all these classes, but I just want you all to know that I read your reviews and was really really really happy (translate: Wolf sat in her bed squealing with joy and nearly tearing her pillow in half from all the feels and her roommate was very very concerned she was possessed because goddamnit can humans even squeal that high. Something like that).**

 **The chapters are probs gonna be longer from now on because buckle up bitches, things are happening now (*insert cackling noises here*).**

 **This chapter is written in Jellal's POV... again. I've started to realize that Jellal's been taking over the story lately, but I promise you, it won't be like this for long. Erza's gonna have her say again, I promise. Honestly, I think the reason why Jellal's POV is so prominent is because it's my subconscious taking over and jabbing at Mashima for not giving my bby enough screentime. Lol, idk man, Idk.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Something Flutters**

 **Freshman Year**

* * *

It was the first day of freshman year. The very first day of his high school experience. Jellal looked up at the giant brick building that would be his home for the next four years. A big "Welcome New Students" banner was strung up over the entrance, and Jellal couldn't help but grimace at the gaudiness. Well, Magnolia High was known for it's academics, not subtlety.

When he entered the building, he noticed a lot of students crowding the halls. Like, a lot. It would be very easy to get lost in this mass of students. And since Magnolia was an elite school, most of the students were dressed rather fashionably. Jellal looked down at his attire, a plain white t-shirt, dark skinny jeans, and black sneakers. Not the most fashionable outfit out there, but enough for him to fit in with the crowd.

A few older classmen took an interest in him, he noticed from the corner of his eyes. Senior boys, from the looks of their varsity jackets. Their eyes glittered haughtily as they eyed him up and down. He understood that he was a freshman to be looked down upon, but Jellal was never one for following social norms. He jerked his chin up proudly and sniffed in disdain, passing them with a casual flip of the bird.

"Dude," Gray said from his side. "Do you have a death wish? Those guys looked like they wanted to eat you alive."

"Oh come on," Natsu said from Jellal's other side, grinning at the seniors and cracking his knuckles. "It's nothing we can't handle."

Jellal side-eyed his pink haired friend. "Why are you always ready for a fight?" he asked inquisitively.

Natsu shrugged. "In case one ever does happen, I'll be ready," he replied, as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

"Glad you're on our side," Gray muttered.

Natsu glared. "Who the hell ever said I was on your side?"

"Yah!"

Jellal snickered, thrusting his arm out to prevent Gray from lunging at Natsu, who was cackling evilly. He had to hand it to his friends, they were crazy, but he'd rather have them than anyone else.

A couple of girls ran past him, their squeals of excitement catching Jellal's attention.

"Oh my god, who is she?"

"She's so pretty!"

"I love her dress!"

A little curious now, Jellal craned his neck, looking to where a small group of students stood clustered around an area. "Who do you think it is?" he asked Gray and Natsu.

"Probably some adorable chick," Natsu said. "Let's check her out, eh? Who knows, maybe she'll be hot enough to meet even your standards, Jellal."

Jellal rolled his eyes. "Like I'd date this girl," he said. "And my standards aren't that high!"

 _Just very specific,_ he thought, and then shoved that very idea out of his mind an instant later.

In fact, all thoughts seemed to flee from his mind the moment this mystery girl broke through her crowd of admirers.

"Oops, sorry about that," the girl says, turning and bowing politely to the boy whose foot she just crushed beneath her boot. The boy nodded, and Jellal was sure he could see a string of drool dripping from the boy's lips.

The girl turned and continued down the hall, stopping just short of Jellal and his crew when she saw them. Jellal suddenly found it very hard to breathe, because standing before him was none other than Erza Scarlet, dressed in a beautiful plum colored dress, stopping mid thigh. Her long red hair, just as vibrant as he last remembered, was pulled up into a high fishtail braid, draping over her shoulder.

She was still the same Erza that he remembered, but also drastically different. This Erza was now grown, oozing confidence and beauty. Her eyes were faintly outlined with eyeliner, and Jellal found himself drawn to her beautiful lips, which shone with a faint gloss. This girl was nothing like the old Erza, timid and shy. No, this girl knew her beauty, and knew how to wear it confidently.

Their eyes met, and Erza's mouth opened slightly before closing, and she stared. An awkward silence settled over the little group.

She'd gotten taller, Jellal noticed. The heeled boots she wore made it so she was just inches shorter than him. Her eyes were still as warm and expressive as before, he noted, and he just blinked dumbly at Erza, unable to form words. Was his chest tightening, or was that just his imagination? What was this... _thing_ fluttering in his chest all of a sudden?

"I'd rethink that statement, if I were you," Gray whispered in his ear.

"Hi," Erza said, smiling at Jellal. He frowned, unable to understand why her smile lit off a series of fireworks in his stomach, and didn't say anything.

"Yo," Natsu said, coming to Jellal's rescue with a toothy grin and a peace sign.

And when Erza turned to Natsu to flash him the same smile, Jellal felt a wave of... _something_ , well up inside him. Something was definitely acting all fluttery inside him. Suddenly, he wasn't so sure how he felt about Erza's smile. Or Erza in general. It couldn't be his chest tightening, could it?

Erza turned her gaze expectantly back to Jellal. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He tried swallowing, unable to, and again, tried to figure out what the hell was causing fireworks to go off inside of him. _Stop fluttering goddamnit_ , he told the _thing_ in him.

He was thankfully saved by a voice screaming Erza's name, and seconds later a blonde girl came to Jellal's rescue, tackling Erza and nearly bowling her over. Jellal blinked, recognizing Lucy Heartfilia, Erza's old friend from elementary school. Behind them came a short blue haired girl he recognized as Levy McGarden.

"Oh my god, you're here! I thought you were going to move to Pergrande? Why are you here? Not that I don't want you here, because I do, but-"

"We weren't expecting you, that's all," Levy said, prying Lucy off Erza. "It's great to see you."

"Same," Erza says warmly, taking Levy by the hand. "My mom decided to take the job here in Magnolia instead," she explained. "I'm staying for good."

"This is awesome," Lucy said excitedly. "The three inspiring authors back at it again. This year is going to be awesome."

Natsu snorted. "You're such a nerd," he said.

Lucy's eyes widened, and she whirled around, seemingly realizing that they (meaning her, Erza, and Levy) had company.

"What's wrong with aspiring?" she asked critically. "Do you think you're too cool to be focusing on the future?"

"Please," Natsu said. He gestures to Lucy. "This has "nerd" written all over it."

"I see you haven't changed at all," Lucy shot back. "Figures, once an ass, always an ass."

Natsu's face paled, and he sputtered in outrage. Erza seized this opportunity, and grabbed her friends' arms. "We're going to be late," she said, making eye contact with Jellal briefly before looking away (which displeased him for some strange reason). "See you later."

She took off down the hall with her friends in tow, and Jellal had a weird feeling settling in his stomach as he watched her run away from him.

Natsu also couldn't seem to take his eyes off the three girls, namely, the blonde in particular. "That nerve," he muttered, glaring at Lucy's retreating back. "I hate her."

"That's what they all say," Gray whispered; thankfully Natsu didn't hear it.

They made their way down the hall to Art class, one of Jellal's most hated subjects. He was good at math and science, him and art did not mix well. He scowled.

His scowl only deepened when he entered the classroom and saw Erza sitting towards the front. Right, since they were freshman all forced to take the same subjects, he and Erza were bound to be in a lot of classes together. Which meant he was going to be seeing her a whole lot more often.

That didn't make him happy.

As the day continued, classes went by uneventfully. Jellal couldn't help but be unamused throughout each one; on the other hand, Erza was attentive and interested in just about everything. She went through the day with a beautiful smile on her face, talking with everyone and being the center of attention. Jellal often found himself watching her, but quickly caught himself before anyone found him staring, and turned away.

He still got caught.

"If you stare at her any longer, you'll bore a hole into her back," Gray said cheekily, kicking Jellal out of his reverie. He blinked, realizing he'd been once again watching Erza, and looked around, remembering that it was lunch.

"What?" Jellal asked, feigning confusion. He looked down at his food, poking it halfheartedly with his chopsticks.

"You know what," Gray shot back. "You were staring at Erza. Again."

"I wasn't. Definitely not."

"Why not?"

Jellal's brow furrowed in actual confusion. "What do you mean, 'why not'?"

Gray shrugged, gesturing around with his spoon. "If you haven't noticed, you're not the only one. The entire student body has been eyeing her all day too."

Jellal turned, and to his surprise, a vast majority of the kids had their eyes trained on Erza and her friends. He frowned, trying to understand why his stomach was suddenly in knots. He was okay with other people watching Erza right? (His stomach certainly could disagree).

"Could be the hair," Natsu pointed out, looking up from his bowl suddenly.

"Or the face," Gray mused, watching Jellal's face intently. He suddenly grinned, and Jellal knew something was about to unfold.

"Or the bo-"

"Finish that sentence and I slit your throat," Jellal hissed, his eyes slitting dangerously.

Gray chuckled. "Kidding," he yelped. "I surrender, Fernandes. Have mercy!"

Jellal shook his head. "Whatever," he grumbled. "It doesn't matter. Who cares why everyone's staring at her? I don't."

He focused back on his lunch, missing his best friends' shared glances.

* * *

Ah, track tryouts. Jellal dropped his bag down by the fence and stretched out his arms, eyes focused on the team in the middle of the field, working on their warm ups. He narrowed his eyes.

This was his time. He needed to make the team. This was his best sport, his pride and joy. Other boys had their sports, like Gray with soccer, and Natsu with MMA, but track, that was all Jellal.

He made his way over, introducing himself to the members. They asked him what events he was trying out for, and he told them the 100M (his pride and joy), the 200M, and the dreaded 400M. He could feel the upperclassmens' eyes on him, checking him out, assessing him even before he could show them what he could do.

"Hey, you check out that new freshman?" he overheard from behind him, and he turned around to see two upperclassmen boys, probably seniors.

"Yeah," said one, this one with a buzz cut and horribly squinty eyes. "She's a pretty Barbie."

Jellal felt his insides tighten uncomfortably. He knew who they were talking about.

"And?"

Squinty shrugged. "I'm interested. I'll play with her for a little while, until I've had my fill. You know how it goes."

Jellal felt the sudden urge to go kick Squinty in the face with his spikes. He decided he was going to do it too, but just as he made his decision, the team captain called together all the new kids to start tryouts. Jellal frowned one last time at Squinty, imagining how his face would look with a pair of spikes imbedded in it, before turning to the more pressing matter at hand.

Jellal did his hardest to impress the team, and it paid off. Both the captain and the coach were extremely happy with his times (and so was he). He was positive he made it onto the Sprinting team, especially with that 100M (he matched it with his PR from last year, score), and he was extremely happy with that.

He was just about to take off his spikes when a shadow appeared over him. He looked up and almost cursed, because none other than Squinty (whose real name was Jerome, not that that mattered). He preferred to not call scum by their names until they earned his respect.

"Nice times," Squinty said. "Race me."

"Dude, no way," said his companion from earlier. "He's brand new. Go easy on him, Jerome."

"Shut up," Squinty snapped, keeping his gaze trained on Jellal. "I'm the leader of the boys' Sprinting Team. I want him to race me. 100M."

Jellal stood, glaring at Squinty. "Fine," he said coldly. A few of the others around them gasped in shock, looking at Jellal as if he was asking for a death wish. Jellal ignored them and went to the starting line, choosing lane 3. He got into the start position, and turned to look at Squinty, who had a smug expression painted on his face. Time to wipe it off.

"Start us," Squinty said, throwing his water bottle at his friend, and joined Jellal at the starting line.

As soon as Jellal heard the whistle, he was up and out of the blocks smoothly, making his way down the 100M way. He was quick and concentrated, and he could tell he was a few paces ahead of Squinty. With this in mind, he surged forward, and made it to the finish a few seconds before Squinty.

"10.9!" the boy shouted, and Jellal grinned, pleased. Close to his PR.

Jellal turned to where Squinty stood, bent over, catching his breath. "Nice run," he said to him. "I guess my fresh legs were just a little bit more excited to win."

Squinty glared before stalking off, muttering curses under his breath.

The captain walked over to Jellal and clapped him on the back. "Good run, newbie," he said. Then he bent forward and leaned in close. "I'm sorry about Jerome," he whispered. "He can be a pain with the freshmen. Good job standing up to him."

Jellal nodded. "Some people need a lesson to be put in their place."

He wasn't exactly sure why he needed to beat Squinty so badly. Was it the cocky attitude, or the fact that he talked about Erza in such a demeaning way?

No, definitely the cocky attitude.

* * *

A month and a half into the year, Jellal came to the awful realization that high school was nothing like middle school, in other words, a lot more work. If he wasn't in class or practice, he was spending his free periods in the library, do his homework. His grades were great, practice was going well, and he was friends with the rest of the team, excluding Squinty.

Erza was still the school's most sought after student, not that Jellal cared. It was just hard to not notice the constant swarm around her, complimenting her outfits, or how smart she was, or how pretty she was. She took it all in stride, giving small smiles, but continued on her way, not stopping to mingle with her admirers. Jellal hated them all, and told Gray and Natsu this constantly.

He ignored their laughs, and tried hard not to wonder if they were laughing at him (which he was sure they were), and why exactly why they were laughing.

Back in English class, Jellal was eyeing his unfinished Algebra homework with mournful eyes, already picturing the D scrawled in red at the top of the page, when the teacher told them they were going to be put in pairs to do a project on the the book they had just read, _To Kill a Mockingbird._

 _Please let it be Gray,_ Jellal prayed.

"Gray Fullbuster and Levy McGarden."

 _Damnit, let it be Natsu._

"Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia." At this, Natsu groaned and put his head in his hands.

 _Do not be-_

"Jellal Fernandes and Erza Scarlet."

 _God shoot me now where I stand._

Erza turned around and gave Jellal a sheepish smile. He frowned, unable to understand why his stomach suddenly decided to do somersaults all of a sudden. And worse, that _thing_ in his chest chose the exact same moment to begin it's fluttering beat in his chest. He blamed it on his hunger, lunch was only in two periods, after all.

After class, Jellal found himself at his locker, head buried in his books, whether it be to asphyxiate himself or just sleep, that was yet to be determined. A small tap on his shoulder make him jerk, hitting his head on the shelf, and he moaned, clutching his head.

"Jeez, I should probably just stay away from you for the rest of my life, shouldn't I?" said a familiar voice behind him, and he whirled around, pain forgotten, to see Erza standing behind him. She had a sheepish grin on her face and her eyes were fluttering with amusement.

"Oh," Jellal said, seemingly forgetting how to use words to his advantage. Then he shook his head and righted himself. "No, no," he continued, suddenly taking in the prominence in Erza's words (a moment of panic actually hit him like a bus). "It's fine, don't do that!"

Erza laughed, and the sound was so beautiful to Jellal's ears he quieted down. "I was kidding," Erza said, shifting from one foot to the other. "But now that I've got your attention, do you wanna meet today after school for the project? I know you're free today."

"Uhh sure- wait a second! How do you know I'm free today."

Erza frowned. "Track doesn't practice on Wednesdays, last I checked."

"Well, yeah," Jellal said, heart pounding (and he was completely unsure why). "But why were you checking?"

Erza blinked, then yelped and quickly said, "Oh, uh... I joined the newspaper and I had to look up meeting times for the sports team for a column... and... yeah."

Jellal raised a brow, not convinced (and totally ignoring the way his heart was fluttering at the thought of Erza checking in on his team).

"Ugh, just... do you want to meet at my house or yours?" Erza said, her face red.

Jellal closed his locker. "Mine, I guess," he mumbled. "My parents are going to be out late working, so it won't be a bother."

They left the school together later that day, getting on Jellal's bus together. They earned themselves a few whispers like "what's Jellal Fernandes doing with Erza Scarlet?" and "I thought those two didn't get along", and plenty of stares. Jellal stared straight ahead, and tried not to focus too hard on Erza's body pressing next to his own, or the wonderfully distracting smell of her vanilla perfume (why he focused on those things, he had no idea).

And then he heard it.

"What's so special about her anyway?" a girl behind them said, and Jellal turned his head slightly to catch the glimpse of a preppy looking blonde wearing way too much makeup, with her skirt hiked up high, talking to an equally primped up barbie next to her.

Jellal's jaw tightened.

"She just wants attention. Bets are she's just wanting the first guy she sees so she can spread her legs."

Jellal noticed the tears pooling in the corners of Erza's eyes, but she didn't say anything.

So he did.

"Will you two just please shut up?" he snapped, turning to the girls in question. Erza's jaw dropped and she stared at Jellal with pleading eyes to just _please drop it please Jellal_ , but he glared at the girls instead.

"Excuse me?" Barbie number one said.

"I said to please shut the hell up," Jellal continued, anger flaring. "Just because you don't look half as good as she does with all that makeup caked on your face doesn't give you the right to bash on her. Why don't the two of you look in the mirror and maybe take a face wipe to all the makeup, and you might be able to look a quarter of how she looks. So shut up, stop hating, and get over yourselves, and try to find a way to be a decent human being."

The bus stopped at Jellal's house and he turned to Erza. "Let's go," he snapped, and grabbed her hand, nearly dragging her off the bus. Only when they were inside did Jellal realize that he was holding on to her did he let go.

He turned and led her upstairs into his bedroom. She was quiet, looking at all of his things, and Jellal realized that it had been a while since she was last in it. Nothing much had changed, but she still looked around with fascination. Jellal let her, heading over to his closet to hang up his blazer.

"Jellal?" she whispered after a few moments, and he turned to look at her. She was biting her lip and hesitantly fingering her skirt.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Why'd you do that?" she asked.

He paused. Why did he do that? That was a very good question, one he wasn't sure how to answer. Or maybe he was just too scared to know the answer.

Instead, he looked at her. "Do those girls often say things like that?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Yeah," she said. "But it doesn't bother me so much."

Jellal sighed, and sat down on his bed. "You shouldn't let people say things about you," he told her. "You've got to stick up for yourself."

Erza shrugged, and came to sit down next to him. "I don't care what other people think of me," she said. "It doesn't really matter, after all this is over. They can say what they like."

"Still," Jellal argued. "I don't like that they said such creepy stuff."

Erza looked away. "Why do you care?" she muttered quietly, but Jellal picked up on it anyway. "It's not like we're best friends or anything).

Jellal felt his heart die a little bit at that, but he ignored it.

"Anyway," Erza continued, picking up her backpack and pulling out her notebooks. "Let's just get this over with."

They finished right before Jellal's parents arrived, and then they took her home.

* * *

A couple weeks later found Jellal at his locker once again, head buried between the shelves as he tried to find his geometry homework.

A quiet cough behind him made him turn, watching out carefully for the shelves so he didn't take another hit to the head. Behind him stood Erza, dressed casually in a pair of skinny jeans and a white sweater.

"Hi," she said, smiling beautifully (again, Jellal ignored the flips in his stomach at the sight of it). He nodded a greeting.

"I just wanted to say good job on the project," she supplied. "I think we got one of the highest grades. Mrs. Jones should be pleased."

"Mhmm," Jellal said, unable to find words.

"And... well, it was nice to work with you again," she whispered.

Not sure how to respond, Jellal smiled awkwardly.

Erza smiled again. "Alright, well, I guess I'll see you around, Jellal," she said, turning away with a small wave.

Jellal promptly turned back to his locker, face suddenly very warm and his stomach upgrading from small flips to giant somersaults and olympic-grade gymnastics. Taking in a breath, he frowned, his chest noticeably tight. His heart was pounding erratically, and for a brief moment, he actually thought it was trying to rip it's way out of his chest.

He shook his head. "Must've eaten something bad," he muttered, blaming the weird burger he bought today at lunch. He shook his head, dismissing the feeling as nothing but a weird stomachache.

It was going to be fine. He could handle it.

Right?

* * *

 **A/N: No you can't Jellal, not when you're crushing this HARD and don't even notice it. What am I going to do with you?**

 **Plenty of cute jerza moments scattered throughout, and did anyone spot the subtle Nalu, with the confused Natsu and the sly Gray? hehe**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please leave a review, it really motivates me and helps me write!**

 **Love to everyone who already has favorited, followed, and reviewed. *Throws kisses and hugs and rainbows everywhere because I am a unicorn***

 **\- Wolf**


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